Experience the rainforest

Explore the rainforest without leaving the UK. The Living Rainforest is home to 700 species of plants and animals. Watch birds, butterflies, lizards and a two-toed sloth roam free in our tropical glasshouses.... Read more

Schools programme

Each year, The Living Rainforest's acclaimed education programme welcomes over 25,000 school children. Four tours are available, supporting key subjects in the Curriculum.... Read more

Our history

The Living Rainforest stands at the former site of one of Europe's leading orchid nurseries. In 1993, it re-opened as a rainforest visitor centre. Today, with registered educational charity status, we welcome over 90,000 visitors a year.... Read more

Solutions for sustainable living

The Trust for Sustainable Living, which runs The Living Rainforest, hosts a range of events on contemporary sustainability topics, including the annual International Schools Essay Competition & Debate and Schools Sustainability Challenge. Subscribe to our newsletter (below) for occasional news updates.... Read more

Interact with the rainforest online

Judging & Scoring Criteria

2014 International Schools Essay Competition –

‘What does ‘sustainable living’ mean to you?

The 2014 competition is about what ‘sustainable living’ means to schoolchildren around the world.

Primary students (ages 7-11) simply need to answer the question, what does ‘sustainable living’ mean to you? Secondary students (ages 11-17) are further challenged to outline their ideas for ‘sustainable living’ and the steps needed for societies to achieve them.

The essays will be allocated marks according to the following scoring system: